Hybrid CRITIC-TOPSIS model for prioritizing digitally developed countries in the light of energy indicators

Abstract

Digital progress of the society is associated with trends in energetic sector. The top ten digitally developed European countries, according to the most recent ICT development index report in 2017, were chosen as testing countries to conduct a deeper investigation on the issue of energy production and consumption in the digital era. Data on (1, 2) coal and oil-fired electricity generation, (3) share of GHG emissions from energy production, (4) final electricity consumption in industry, (5) final electricity consumption in households, and (6) energy intensity were included in the initial database. For determining criteria weights and final ranking of alternatives, a hybrid CRITIC-TOPSIS MCDM model was utilized. The CRITIC approach was used to calculate objective weights of criteria by employing standard deviation to measure the contrast strength of each criterion. The findings highlight the dominance of three criteria in comparison to others: energy intensity (wei = 0.200), share of GHG emissions in total energy production (weGHG = 0.198), and ultimate energy consumption in households (wfch = 0.194). The TOPSIS approach was used to complete the final ranking. Switzerland, Luxembourg, and Sweden were ranked first, second, and third, respectively, in terms of advanced digitalization performance and awareness of the need of providing green energy for economic activity.